My Family of Four Won't Stop Fighting Over Who Gets to Sit (and Sleep) on This Sleeper Chair

5 min read

One of the selling points of our apartment was its back room and its potential as a guest space. The realtor who originally showed us the property had taken care to stage it that way, complete with a made-up twin bed wedged against one wall. But as a family of four making the most of the limited square footage New York City real estate provides, it became a hybrid play, television, and reading alcove within a week of moving in.

I put an upholstered swivel seat left over from my kids' old nursery in there (which both my daughters immediately spun against the wall too many times, and dinged up the paint: sigh) and a big squishy beanbag (immediately covered in chocolate stains: double sigh). And while this setup was serviceable enough, I couldn't help but think, every time I walked in, that surely there must be a smarter, more visually elegant way to use the area. It was too small for a sleeper couch, sure. But maybe there might be a more compact pull-out alternative?

Sabai The Eclipse Sleeper Chair

Sabai The Eclipse Sleeper Chair

$1,875sabai.design

Enter: Sabai's Eclipse Sleeper Chair, which essentially looks like the biggest, pillowiest, most inviting velveteen armchair you've ever seen. Its seat consists of two fat square cushions stacked atop one another—which, at first glance, seems purely decorative. This double-decker set-up, however, is actually a compact folded mattress you can easily unfurl when needed and turn into an (incredibly comfortable) bed. This, in theory, meant I could potentially keep my multipurpose room and make it something I wouldn’t be embarrassed offering to friends and family for a few nights. So was I able to have my proverbial interior design cake and eat it, too?

Find out in my full review ahead.

Rating: 4/5

Best for: People who want a soft, compact sleeper chair that looks nice enough for guests to sleep on while also durable enough for kids to climb, jump, and sleep on.

Not ideal for: Anyone who needs assistance getting on and off this bed because the “mattress” part is low to the ground.

Price at time of review: $1,875

Bottom line: If you want a high-quality, small space-friendly sleeper chair that comes in a variety of colors and can withstand the power of kids, this is the one I’d recommend to all my parent friends.

• The style comes in a wide-ranging mix of colors (from soft neutrals to rich jewel tones), patterns (including stripes), and fabrics (hemp blend, recycled velvet, and upcycled polyester). Although all options are purported to be pet-friendly, the velvet is an especially apt choice for animal lovers, as it is resistant to shedding from cats and dogs.
• There are a few upgrades that can be added to your purchase for an additional cost, like a lumbar pillow and auxiliary storage solutions.
• Every piece is made from entirely non-toxic materials, like CertiPUR-US (a certified high-resiliency foam), coconut fiber, and FSC-certified plywood frames.
• Each sleeper chair effortlessly converts to a twin XL bed, no separate mattress needed.
• If you damage any part of your sleeper, the company offers a program called "Repair Don't Replace" that allows you to buy individual replacement components à la carte.

The back room, where this sleeper chair will go, is tiny.

The biggest downside to ordering one of these is that, because each order is custom-made, there is a four-to-six-week wait period to receive it. As an impatient person, I was not thrilled about this, although I took comfort in knowing the extra time meant my chair was being crafted with care.

When it was time to ship, though, the process was totally seamless: I received a digital notification asking me to schedule a delivery day and time frame, and selected something that worked for me. In a shocking turn of events, not only was the crew on time, but they were ever-so-slightly early. That said, I doubt that will be the experience for everyone who buys this chair, as the drop-off schedule is dependent on out-of-control factors like traffic, stops, and weather.

Speaking of weather, it was pouring rain when my furniture arrived, but the guys bringing it handled the storm like pros. Everything made it from down the street and up our two-flight walk-up totally dry, and they assembled it within 15 minutes and took all the leftover packaging with them. As the door shut behind the crew, I turned and stared at our new acquisition, sitting perfectly assembled and in place, as if it had magically apparated there.

The Sabai chair instantly helped us create a cozy reading (or sleeping) nook.

I cannot overstate the way every member of my family, from my husband to my four-year-old daughter, descended upon this plush nook of a seating spot the second it entered our house. Within about twenty minutes, everyone was arguing over who got to plop in first, and refusing to get up when they did (myself included).

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Luckily, it's super wide, meaning at least three kids and likely two adults can share it comfortably—which all of us have since it arrived: for bedtime stories, movie nights, just hanging around and talking. It is, undoubtedly, the most fun seating option we have in the house; I, in particular, love curling up in it when I'm on a tight work deadline. Something about the snuggliness tempers my stress.

The sleeper chair just fits in this awkward corner we have.

Throw some pillows and sheets on it, and it becomes a soft sleeping spot.

I have not yet had an entire evening of shut-eye on this sleeper, but my youngest kid has. At first, the novelty of getting a pull-out bed in the back room with a television (a treat because her sister had a friend over for the night) felt all but pre-ordained to keep her up. Then, a miracle happened: The thick and bouncy mattress on this thing was so comfortable, she passed out within twenty minutes and remained conked until morning. I can attest to the design's drowsy-making properties as well: Every time I lie on it for a light nap, I instantly feel a heaviness in my eyelids, and my limbs begin to relax.

My husband immediately plopped down to test this sleeper chair—he approves.

I haven't owned this item long enough to fully report how it withstands the wear-and-tear of cleaning. (And fortunately, I haven't needed to treat any stains or tears…yet.) However, I will say I've vacuumed it a few times for crumbs and hair, and it always comes out of the process looking exactly as it did upon delivery.

Sabai The Eclipse Sleeper Chair

Sabai The Eclipse Sleeper Chair

$1,875sabai.design

Pros

• Extraordinarily cozy
• Easy to assemble
• Compact and great for tight spaces
• Made with high-quality materials

Cons

• The wait time for delivery is (at least) a month
• The price may be a dealbreaker to you

While it would be a bit hyperbolic to say having one in our home has been life-changing, I would say it has been extremely life-enhancing. Besides making our back room look about a hundred times more polished and intentional, it's an insanely enjoyable spot to curl up with a good book (or lately, more often than not, my laptop and a deadline). It's also opened up the possibilities of hosting people over for the night in a way that feels impossibly, luxuriously adult—I can offer them an almost real bed, in an actual room with a door that (gasp) closes. One month in, I'm obsessed with this thing.

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